Part-time public school?

If I understand correctly, until primary school, school is not obligatory in Belgium. So you can take your child out at any time for holidays, rest at home, etc without giving a justification to the school.

That said, I'm not sure how it would affect the planning of the teachers to have a half-time student.

In our school there are kids who only attend in the mornings from 9.00 - 11.45, and in some cases it's even rcommended.

There is no attendance policy (you don't have to call about days off), but as classe d'acceuil places are few in number, if you wouldn't use it regularly, then consider not taking up place as there are many families who truly need it. Also, daily attendance will help the child to adjust.

My children both only attended mornings in their first year of schooling. Many children don't attend full time (some stay with their grandparents for one day a week for example). In my experience it is best to tell teachers before hand on which days/times your child will not attend, some teachers will try to convince you that it's best to send him/her fulltime but , as others have said their is no obligation to do so. Imho the best solution is to send children that young only in the mornings for at least 4 days a week. Staying home on wednesday gives them a middle of the week break. In both schools my kids have attended they don't do much in the afternoons at that age, usally a nap or quiet time and playing. As "Emen" has said if your child doesn't attend school enough they will never really get used to it. Routine is key! Songs, activities, drawing, learning is done in the mornings. My eldest son stayed in school until before lunch but my youngest son stayed until after lunch as he liked eating with his classmates (and ate more in a school setting as at home). Good luck, don't worry about it too much, at that age you decide when your child should go to school.

I wouldn't want to be a a school where my children is the only part time child in a maternelle class. It's not easy being the odd one out. It is quite likely to happen though.

The settling issue for part timers has already been mentioned by other posters.

The curriculum will be mapped out for full timers, if you have a part time child, it does make planning more difficult for the teacher.

It also makes communication more difficult between parent and teacher. It cuts the contact time down. Furthermore, the teacher puts communication in the little fardes daily, often paperwork will end up in the hands of the teachers in the afternoon and they slip this paperwork into the fardes, but for a part time child who takes their farde home in the middle of the day or who is not there at all that day, the teacher has to remember that communication hasn't been put in the farde, store it, put if in the farde next time the child attends.

If you wish to have a part time child, I think a teacher would at least find it easier with a Mon-Fri mornings only, or Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri full days and no Wednesdays pattern.

You would also have to think about the sports days and days out which are usually full day events, if you have a mornings only child, you should at least consider your child doing these full days.

I must say 2 or 3 half days a week out of 9 half days would be very little time at school, I think for most children, that would be quite disruptive when the other 24 children are there full time or on a regular mornings only timetable.

Schools are funded according to attendances, so there will be a minimum number of days you will have to attend, or the place will go to another child.

1/2 days won't be a problem at all at that age.

Good luck finding a good school in those areas that has places. Not an easy task.

I can only echo J's luck in finding a maternelle. Ixelles or Uccle for September 2013, not that easy, enrolments for the most popular schools were months ago, I assume as you list areas rather than an individual school that you have not yet got a school place.